


I saw your face, in a crowed place.

by ChinaDoll



Category: Free!
Genre: Death, Growing Up, Late Night Conversations, Loneliness, Long-Distance Friendship, M/M, Parents, Responsibility, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 10:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5781823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChinaDoll/pseuds/ChinaDoll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a late night phone call, whispered in the dark and far from each other, Nagisa makes a much needed trip to visit Rei; with more then a little bit of emotional baggage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I saw your face, in a crowed place.

**Author's Note:**

> My life is _brilliant._  
>  _My love is pure._  
>  I saw an _angel._  
>  _Of that I'm sure._  
>  -James blunt  
> 

Rei took a deep breath of cool autumn air, as people rushed by him at the train station, it was his day off and he would often go out to lunch or to the book store, keeping himself moving even if he allowed himself to sleep in on the one day he gets off.  
He watches people run around him, collage students hurrying to catch their train. Some of them who had time grabbing a coffee on the way, all of them looked beaten down and had dark rings around their eyes as if they hadn't slept in years.  
Rei had been living her for over five years now, after a rough four years of college, he found a job only a train ride from his apartment. He works long hours as a lab researcher, he only takes the long hours because after years of rotating room mates, his apartment has been very lonely for the last year and a half.  
He easily can afford the place by himself, though has thought about offering up the room to a renter. His first though was his best friend, who had staid in their hometown to go to collage.  
Rei had visited a few times, but most of his friend were living in the city. He can remember the last time he saw Nagisa, he had been seeing him off at the train station, Rei had been going back to the city.  
Nagisa had been looking down, his smile hesitant and rather fake as he raised his hand in fair well, his girlfriend at the time gently pulling on his arm to convince him it was time to go.  
Rei wasn't surprised when he had gotten a late night phone call from his friend not long after that, he wasn't crying though. He must have own about the break up for awhile, or maybe his heart was never in it to begin with.  
Late night calls for them had become normal, sometimes they would start early and it would get dark in Rei's room without him even noticing, he would forget all about turning on the light.  
Nagisa had been thrilled to call him one night two years ago now, to tell him he was getting a baby brother.  
Rei sits down on a waiting bench as he thinks about last nights phone conversation, Nagisa barely speaks over a whisper as he is trying his best not to cry again. His parents had recently passed away suddenly, leaving Nagisa to deal with family matters. The house was left to Nagisa, along with custody of his two year old brother, his sisters had family's of their own and lived far away, leaving Nagisa alone.  
He listened to Nagisa, hearing how he had been holding up, the reason Rei had for calling was had been to invite Nagsia to move in with him, he wasn't expecting to hear about death and parental responsibility.  
"It's alright." Nagisa assured, though Rei could hear the tremble in his voice, "I've always felt Michiko was mine anyway..."  
Rei took a deep breath, thinking about his friend all the way over there, juggling his job and spending time with his brother, in the house that used to have six people living there. Now only Nagisa and his small charge, trying to live after everything had been tipped upside down and then shaken.  
"I'll be there tomorrow." Rei told his friend firmly, his brain already working out what to pack and where his bags were.  
"...actually..." Nagisa breathed, it was so light and fluttery, Rei almost missed it. "would...you mind too much if we...visited you?"  
"No, I don't mind at all." Rei says, holding the phone a little closer. "I'll take time off at work, you can stay as long as you want." 

Blinking a few times, Rei notices that the train he's been waiting for has pulled up, spilling out people in a rush. Rei can pick out blond hair in the crowd without much effort, he stands and watches. His best friend is looking down at a small boy who seems to be very sleepy and sniffling, he's holding tightly onto his brothers hand like it's a life line while with the other rubbing at his crusty eyes.  
Nagisa looked up and Rei's soul shatters, the blonds hair if limp and his eyes are sullen and sad, dark rings around his eyes making him look much older then he really is, but what really kills Rei is the weary half smile that touches his mouth.  
His body lurches and before he knows it, he's slipping though the crowd of people using long legs to start running towards his friend, bumping into people as he went and hardly stopping to apologize.  
Rei collides with Nagisa and hold him as close as humanly possible, feeling his heart pounding loudly. "Rei...?" was forced from Nagisa's chest from the embrace.  
"...I've got you." Rei whispered, as he buried his face into his friends shoulder and hair, "you never have to be alone again."  
Rei can hear and feel Nagisas raspy inhale in the the most intimate of ways, it faltered off into a sob as Nagisa gingerly griped onto him before he pressed into the warmth between them, his hands then tugging on the back of his jacket. 

"...it's good to be home." Nagisa trembles, as if he wants to stay in Rei's arms forever, "I've missed you..."

"Oh Nagisa...I've missed you, so much" Rei tells him, close to his ear, "I'm not sure you know how much..."  
"I can tell..." Nagisa chuckles weakly.  
Rei has to lough at himself, but doesn't pull away from the smaller man, people pass them by and only holds him closer, feeling the weak sobbing now shaking across Nagisa's slight frame. When Rei gives his friend some breathing room, he gently pushes blond hair out of beautiful pink eyes, which still shine like they used to, thankfully. Rei is about to comment, when Nagisas lips part.  
"It's you," Naigsa mumbles, "I'm only this happy around you."  
"Why...?" Rei asks, shocked at the implication and only just noticing that Michiko had taken a small fistful of his pants and was holding onto him gently.  
"Oh Rei..." Nagisa whispers, his eyes watering up once more and a stray tear slipping down for Rei thumb to brush away. "It's always been you, even when we were kids, I just never told you..."  
"I wish..." Rei took a deep breath, stopping his voice from wavering, "you had told me..." Rei can't help leaning forward to press their foreheads together, "I've loved you since the first moment, I saw you Nagisa."  
Nagisa looked like all the breath had been knocked out of him, but his smile was genuine at last and his grip tightened on Rei's coat. The blond shivered and leaned closer, his eyes slipping closed as he tried to breath properly.  
"It's cold," Rei whispered close, "let's get both of you home."  
Nagisa nodded once he had his bearings back, Rei pulled away from him and picked Michiko up into his arms, the boy wrapped small arms around his neck and clung to him, not moving for the whole walk home. Nagisa was brave enough to grab Rei's hand and lace their fingers together.  
"I love you, too." Nagisa says, when Rei is opening the door to his apartment. "in case it wasn't clear."  
Rei slips out of his shoes and places the sleeping boy on the couch, hearing the door click shut and Nagisa following slowly behind him. Turning to his best friend, Rei smiled fondly. Nagisa's body leaned toward him in the way he stood and Rei pressed in closer, his hands brushing at cold cheeks, thumbs drawing under each eye.  
He felt Nagisa's hands on his hips when he leaned all the way in, pressing his lips to the blonds chapped ones.  
"Loud and clear." Rei breathed out, still touching Nagisa's lips with his. Nagisa hummed and stood up a little on his toes, Rei responded by deepening the kiss slightly, drinking up the soft noises they made as they swayed together.  
When they parted, smiling and chuckling, Rei kisses Nagisa forehead and said, "I'll find Michiko a blanket and then I can make some food."  
"Sounds nice." Nagisa nodded in agreement.  
"When you're ready, we can talk about living arrangements." Rei suggested.  
"I W-would really like that." Nagisa said, the loudest he's been, though slipping off into, "Thank you, so much Rei."  
"You're very welcome." Rei tells him, just above slightly parted lips once more.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of this already done and I was really happy with it, then lost everything...and this re-write I feels just falls very short...it was so emotional and tugged at every part of my being and it's gone.  
> But hopefully someone will like this, I love when music gives me a sudden idea.


End file.
